As a developer with a passion for state machines, I’ve often found myself inspired by articles like “A Complete State Machine Made with HTML Checkboxes and CSS.” The power of pure CSS-driven state machines intrigued me, and I began to wonder: could I create something simpler, more interactive, and without Read more…
When you picture placing images in long-form content — like articles, case studies, or reports — the standard approach is inline rectangles, breaking up blocks of text. Functional? Sure. Inspiring? Hardly. Why do so many long-form articles feel visually flat? Why do images so often seem bolted on, rather than Read more…
In the previous two chapters, we built a layered 3D text effect, added depth and color, and then brought it to life with motion. We explored static structure, animated variations, and even some clever decoration tricks. But everything so far has been hard-coded. This time, we’re going dynamic. In this Read more…
In the previous chapter, we built a basic 3D layered text effect using nothing but HTML and CSS. It looks great and has a solid visual presence, but it’s completely static. That is about to change. In this chapter, we will explore ways to animate the effect, add transitions, and Read more…
Recently, a client asked me to create a bulging text effect. These are exactly the kinds of creative challenges I live for. I explored several directions, JavaScript solutions, SVG filters, but then I remembered the concept of 3D layered text. With a bit of cleverness and some advanced CSS, I Read more…
Filing this in the “Missed First Time Around” category. It popped up in the Firefox 139 release notes and I was, like, ooo neat. Then I saw it’s been in Chrome since at least 2022. And as I wrote this, it landed in Safari Technology Preview 125. So there you Read more…
I love “re-learning” things I thought I knew. HTML is full of those opportunities (case in point, like today) since it’s where you typically start learning about web development. And in those early days, you don’t know what you don’t know. So, thanks Jim Nielsen for giving me a reason Read more…
My brain can’t help but try to make connections between seemingly disparate ideas. And that’s what happened yesterday when I read: Hidde’s “Can components conform to WCAG?” Joas’s “Automating Design Systems” Zell’s “We Might Need Something Between Root and Relative CSS Units for “Base Elements” What we have is: A Read more…
CSS provides us with root and relative values. Root values are like rem and rlh — they’re tied to the values written in the :root selector (the most common one would be the html element). Relative values are like em, lh, ch and various others — they’re tied to the Read more…
Block quotes and pull quotes are useful for punctuating solid blocks of running text. They’re also two of the best typographic elements for acting as visual landmarks to catch someone’s eye. There are no rules about how long a quote should be, how big it should look, or even how Read more…
